Method of and means for producing stripes in knit goods.



J. TEBBUTT.

METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR-PRODUCING ISTBNIPES IN NNH (3000s.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I4, 1914.

@15 5, Patented July 191.5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES.-

J. TEBBUTT.

METHOD of AND MEANS FOR PRODUCING STRIPES IN KNIT (3000s..

APPLICATION L D NOVJ I4, I914.

LM5,5Q% v Iutentd July 6, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 N (a X 5; 2

2220222 m NH WITNESSES: INVENTOR. f6. 4W 7 g "A TTOR N E Y3.

I inane.

.ronn rnnnnr'r, or nnonnncn, inns'snonusn'rrs. assrenon T0 incontinent nosrnnr COMPANY, 01 .WOWI'HAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION CH'USETTS.

or Massa- METHUD 0h .diiND MEANS FGR ROD UGING STRIPES IN KNIT GOODS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentedtluly With.

Application filedllovemhcr 14, 19M. fierial llo.-872,18$.

To all whom it may concern Ee it known that I, JOHN Tnnnor'r, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at 7 Florence, in the county of Hampshire and State nit Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new and useful improvements in Methodsof and Means for Producing Stripes in lhnit Goods, of which the following is a specification. s

invention relates to methods of knittins; smgle-needlestripes into tall-fashion goods, and means for so doing the same as applicable to so-called fashioning knittingmachines in contradistinction to circular knitting-machines. 'llhe new method Loonsists in leaving slack the loop in the threads at the place where a stripe is to appear in the goods, in rolling the threads in this slack loop, one over the other, to reverse their relative po sitions, and in completing the stitch; and the new means resides in a divider having a deepened throat to receive the stripe-torminn portions of the threads, and provided with a part to assist in turning the ,threads all as hereinafterset forth. 7

ln carryingrout my method and-a3 a part of the means for so doing I prefer .to emplovvthe old elements of an ordinary fashironing knitting-machine, such elements operatingi-inthe usual manner.

lhe primary objectot mvinvention is to produce one or any nlnn-ber oft single-needle, vertical stripes in the body of knit goods, :by throwing the back-threads to the front and the front threads to the back, and to provide a flat, full-tashion machine with practicable and .efiicient .ineans [tor doing such work, no

additional carriers being required, and there beingno extra winding or extra ends or threads.

lderetotorestripes have been superimposed on goods made-on the flat, full-fashion machine so that the goods were thicker in the striped portionsyand in hr'der to produce such stripes extra carriers had to be used and besides extra winding had to be .done and extra. ends or threads were involved. 'llhis invention, as previously observed, .enables H18 ,to produce flat striped goods, and m de so without the aid ofianv extra ,parts except my peculiar or special dividers, which, wherever employed, simply take the p ate o the o dinate 'l i id rs It is on dent, therefore, that my invention is simple in its nature and economical as well.

Practically a limitless number of possible designs and combinations can be produced by my method and'with the novel means which I have devised'for putting it into practice.

Other 'ohiects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description. To assist me in carrying out my method and attaining the objects and. securing the advantagesof the. invention as a whole, it

may employ the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which Figure 1 is a top plan of a portion ot a flat, (toll-fashion knitting-machine, ith which a number of the ,threadmeversing dividers is incorporated; Fig. 2, a sectional elevation of .such parts ofsaid machine as are required for a clear understanding or the invention, showing with such parts a side velevation of one of said dividers; Fig. 3, a view generally similar to Fig. 2, but without some of the parts shown in the {preceding view, and showing the thread-reversing divider in its most advanced position, instead of .in its most retracted position as is the case in said preceding view; 4, a side elevation of a detached jack sinker; ilFig. 5, a side elevation of a detached plain divider; Fig. 6, a side elevation .of a detached thread-reversing divider; 1F an enlargedeleva tion of certain parts illustratirrgaistep in the operation or method;

.ltig. 8, a similar elevation illustrating another step-3 Fig. 9, still another elevation lllnstrative of a --further st p; Fig. 10,,an

enlarged elevation of the saline parts which appear in the three preceding views, and

showing the .result produced by the steps previously taken F ig. 11, an enlarged front elevation ordiagrarn of the thread-engaging pants (exclusive of the carriers and knockingpver bits) disposed substantially as they are in Fig. 3, and, 12, a top planol the same.

Y Similar numerals designate similar parts said striking-jacks are sequentially or progressively actuated, -on apivotal support 6,.

to advance; in a corresponding manner said smkers, a bar 7 which is deslgned to advance said. dividers simultaneously and in like p is in its advanced position, a plurality of manner to' retract-them together with the sinkers, a knocking-over bit 8 that projects forward from; said ,member 3. in the same vertical plane with each divider, and being beneath thefforward 'orforwardly 'projecting portion of the divider whenthe latter needles 9 set in abar' 10 which is capable of moving said needles vertically and horizon tally, 'or backwardly and forwardly, and

first and second thread carriers 11 a'nd12,

' respectively, which in practice travel back and forth, longitudinally of the machine, to

laythe threads inbehind said needlesand acrossthe path: of" the sinkersf The goods are knit on this machine with the back or inside uppermost and the front or. face'un- 'd'erneathrf The first carrier, 11 lays a thread 13 which characterizes the face of the goods and is the front thread,. while the second carrier 12lays a thread 14 which characterizes the back of the goods and is the back thread, the latter always and necessarily following the front'thread. Each needle 9 e has'a spring beard 15 which is closed against an incline 16 on the front of the member 3,

when said needle descends.v At 17 Fig. 3, is represented one of the striking-jack springs. Each sinker 1 has a thread-receiving throat 18, and each divider 2 has a similar throat 19, the two throats being in the same; horizontal and vertical planes, whefl the sinker and divider are in their most advanced position; and the upper edges bf said sinker'and divider, in front of the aforesaid throats, incline downward from back to front at the same anglesee Figs-4 and'5,

Since these parts are old and well; known their operation need be only very briefly described. First, the carriers 11 and 12 lay the threads 13 and 14, respectively, and the sinkers 1 are caused to advance successively, through the medium of the slur -5 and the striking-jacks 4, to receive said threads in the throats 18 and indent or loop said threads behind the needles 9, it being understood that, in this machine, there is a pair of needles between each pair of advanced sinkers; then, the dividers 2 are caused to advance all together, through the medium of the bar-7, to receive initheir throats 19 the loops previously-formed and indent or divide the same by carrying-the engaged portions of the threads between the needles 1n the pairs that are between "the sinkers, and the needles are carried down, by the bar 10, 0 receive within their beards 15. the loops be weenthe sinkers and dividers, there being -a loop between each sinker and the adjacent divider, and are moved back to bring .,1,145,saa

- said beards into contact with the inclined part 16-.and so-close said-beards next, the

,needles, still descending, draw said loops down through the next preceding loops, which now come 'to. rest on the knockingover bits 8, tofcomplete the stitches, the

sinkers ,andiidividers are all moved back out of the way of the threads, and said needles begin to move forward; and, finally, the

sinkers and dividers are advanced once more, this time to prevent the lastly formed a generally white back, because the white thread is uppermost at the'start, it is above the black thread when they slide 011 of the front ends of the sinkers and dividers, and

saidnwhite thread remains. on top of the other when the needles finally rise to initial position again. Obviously, then, if the relative position'sof these threads be reversed,

during the stitch-forming operation, at any point or points, the back thread will appear on the front of the goods in the form of a stripe or stripes, and, of course, a corresponding stripe or stripes, consisting of the front'thread, will appear on the back. In

"order to obtain the result just outlined, I

indent or divide the loops that are to form the p ain portions of the goods in precisely the same way as before, but, instead of dividing the loops that are to form the striped portions of said goods, and thus stretching or tightening the portions of the threads that formsaid loops, 1' leave such loops fairly slack, so that the aforesaid portions of vthe threads can readily be rolled or turned partly over, and then reverse their relative positions by causingjthe under thread to mount above the upper thread, and the latter to pass beneath the former. The reversal of the threads, in-the present case, is accomplished gradually or by several more or less distinct motions. The under thread is first carried to the rear of the upper thread, then 'the now forward thread is moved or permitted to move forward and downward ahead of the other, and finally said forward thread is caused to assume a position directly under the thread that was behind, said lastmentioned thread having been underneath initially. From this step in the process or method of-knitting, the operation continues in the same manner as before. As a means i of accomplishing the desired result and carrying outlthe'new method, or changing the old method to the new, 1 employ a threadreversing divider 20, in place of the ordinary divider, in the machine at each place where it is intended to produce a stripe the product of said machine. The dividers 20 differ from the dividers2', in that each of the former has a deep throat 21 and is provided in front of said throat with a convex rolling-surface 22. The throat 21 is-deeper than either the throat 18 in any of the. sinkers 1, or the throat 19 in any of the dividers 2, and in consequence of this the threads received in said throat 21 are not stretched or held tight as are thethre'ads received in said throats 18 and 19, but are left loose so that they can be reversed, when the divider 20 is retracted, by the contact therewith of the rolling-surface 22, said threads meanwhile being within the heard of one of theneedles 9. The dividers operate or travel with the dividers 2, and the same medium is employed to actuate both sets. Four of the dividers 20 are represented in the first View.

These dividers are arranged in pairs, and, owmg to their number and arrangement, two pairs of stripes are produced 1nthe goods or fabric knit by the machine equippedwith said dividers, such stripes showing white on the generally black face of the fabric and black on the generally White back thereof. in this viewsiX of the sinkers 1 have been fully advanced, and three of said sinlrers partially advanced, each of the latter being at a difierentf stage in its advance ment, while the remaining sinkers therein appearing, thesiX at theleft, are in their fully retracted positions. The dividers 2 and 20 are in their i'earmost or fully retracted positions, since they are not advanced until the last sinker is driven forward. its the sinkers 1 advance they receive in their throats 18 the threads 13 and 1-1, which have been laid in front of said sinker-s by the carriers 11 and 12, respectively, with the white thread 14 uppermost,

and press said threads forward between every other pair of needles 9 to form, with the aid of said needles, loops 23. The loops 23, which are in the path of the dividers 2, are received in the throats 19 of said dividers, when the latter are driven forward, and thus divided, the middle portions of the threads in each of said loops being carried forward between the pair of needles 9 upon hr around which the original loops are formed. inasmuch as the throats 18 and 19 are all of the same depth and are brought into enact alinement, the loops 23 are divided iniiforinly, it being understood, of course, that the sinhers 1 and the dividers 2 (or 20) are equidistant from each other. Examples of loops divided in the manner just explained appear at .2 1 in 12.

in Fig. 2 one of the sinkersl isshown in most advanced position and in senatement with the threads 13 and 14, one. of the dividers 20 is shown in initial position, and

all of the needles at this time. A portion of the knit fabric is represented at in this and the next View.

Passing to Fig. 3 it will be observed that the sinker 1 and the needle 9 therein shown are in positions which correspond to those which they occupy in the preceding view, but that the divider 20shown in said Fig. 3 is in its most advanced position, with the threads 13 and 1 1 in the throat 21. Referring now to Figs. 11 and 12, in connection with Fig. 3, it is seen that, when the dividers 2 and 20 are advanced, the former produce the loops 24, by dividing the loops 23 which were previously produced by the sinkers 1 when advanced, in the manner already explained, and that said dividers 20 leave the loops 23 which are in front of them without actuallydividing or at least without stretching or tightening the threads at these points, owing to the fact that said threads arereceived in the deep and rearwardly positioned throats 21, that is, deep and rearwardly positioned relative to the adjacent throats 18 and 19. it is clear,

therefore, that those portions of the threads that pass through one of the throats 21, back of two needles 9, and then divergently forward to the. sinkers on both sides of said needles,must be comparatively slack. 0wing to the downward and rearward inclination of the edges of each throat 21, the threads may be drawn slightly out of a horizontal plane, as appears to be the case at '26 in llfig. 11, but this divergence is not suilicient materially to tighten said threads or to interfere with the subsequent rolling and reversing. The needles 9 now descend from the position indicated in Fig. 3, until the threads 13 and 14-v are in the spaces in front of the beards 1,5, as shown in F i g. 7. With the threads, the white still above the black, within the boards 15 of the two needles 9 between which each divider20 is positioned, said needles move dbwnwardly and rearwardly to close said beards against the inclined part 16, and SfllflCllVldQl begins to move back, as indicated in Fig. 8. lVhen the divider 20 moves back, the rolling-surface 22 thereof in sliding beneath the thread 13 carries or rolls said thread from beneath the thread 14, said threads being at this time confined in the upper parts of the needle eyes on both sides of said divider,

but not at the extreme upper ends of said eyes. its the aforesaid rolling-surface and the front terminal of the divider 20 continue to slide under the threads 13 and 11, the latter precedes the former and finally slides down off of the front end of said divider followed by thread 13. Just before this &

occurs, the threads in thepreceding loop 27, which before were supportedby the shanks of the needles below their beards, are forced onto said beards, which latter are now closed. This operation or result is brought about by the descending needles and-with the aid ofthe knocking-over bit 8 under. said loop. The threads 13 and 14, the latter underneath the, former, are now-confined in the narrow spaces at the upper ends of the needle eyes, and'the needles descend farther and move forward to release their itial position, and the divider moves forward to hold down the last loop, as illustrated in Fig. 10. In this way and by this means the needle beards pass above the last loop, and the latter is supported bythe shanks of the needles below said beards.

Finally'the divider 20 moves back, with the other dividers and the sinkers, to initial position, in readiness for the reversal of the threads inthe next following loop and the making of the next following stitch, after the sinkers have again made their initial or first forward stroke in a cycle. a It will be observed that the stripe stitche are made the same way as are the other stitches, with this important distinction: Prior to the completing of the loop stitch for the stripe, that is, before any last loop formed by a pair of sinkers and a divider 20 is released bysaid sinkers and divider, when the same are drawn from beneath said last loop, and the latter is drawn throughv the preceding loop on the needles, the

threads in said last loop are reversed, being reversed by the action of said dividerthereon and because said threads are left loose or slack; whilein the case of 'any stitch in the unstriped portion of the-fabric although a pair of sinkers and adivider 2 are drawn from" beneath said last-mentloned stitch, 1t is not reversed and cannot be reversed, since it is held taut by said last-mentioned sinkers-and divider, and the back thread, which at the start is on top of the front thread, remains in that position continually. It follows, therefore, that my invention resides in leaving slack and rolling, turning, or reversing the stripe-forming loop threads, and in 'the means for so doing, as has previously been stated. I

The knocking-over bits 8 are omitted from the first view. Many of the parts and members herein shown are necessarily exaggerated .in size and thickness, for reasons which will be readily understood.

. Although I have disclosed a practical and efiicient embodiment ofmy invention, I do not desire or intend to be unduly restricted thereby, or to be limited in the scope of said invention because of such disclosure, it being clearly'apparent to one skilled in the art that mechanical modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. I

What I claim as m inventiomand desire to secure by Letters atent, is-

1. The method of producing stripes .in knit goods, consisting in feeding a plurality of threadsfin forming such threads into loops and} leaving comparatively loose the threads'comprising one. loop, while the threads in another loop-are kept taut, and

in' reversing said loose threads.

2. The method of producing stripes in knit goods, consisting-in feeding a plurality of. threads, in forming such threads into loops and leaving comparatively loose the threads comprising one loop, while the threads in another loop are kept taut, and in' turning said loose threads to reverse them.

3. The method of producing stripes in knit goods, consisting in laying. the threads, in"indenting said'threads to loop them, in

leaving the portions of threads in the stripeforming loops comparatively slack, in turnmg sald portions of threads to reverse them,

and in completing the stitch with said portions of threads reversed.

4. In the art of producing stripes in knit 'oods, means tofeed and form threads into loops. and to hold-thethreads in certain loops taut without tightening the threads in certain other loops, the latter being stripeforming loops, and means to turn and reverse. the threads in the untightened loops.

5. In the art of producing stripes in knit goods, reciprocable means to form threads into loops and to hold the threads in certain loops taut without tightening the threads in certain other loopsftlie latter being stripeforming loops, and reciprocable means to i turn and reverse the threads in 'the untightened loops. I

6. Thecombination, in means for producing stripes in knit goods, with stitchholding means, of a' reversing divider having a rolling-surface with which said stitchholding means cotiperates to reverse the threads byfrictional contact of the latter with said rolling-surface.

7. The combination,,in means for. producing stripes in knit goods, with stitchholding means, of a reversing divider adapted to receive and engage threads without straining them, and having a rollingsurface with which said stitch-holding means cooperates to reverse said threads by frictional contact of the latter with said rolling-surface. v

was

8. The combination, in the art ofproducing stripes in lmit fabric, With thread-laying means, thread-indenting means, and stitchcompleting means, of a thread-reversing member having a deep throat to receive. and

retain threads in a comparatively loose con dition.

9; The combination, in the art of producing stripes in knit fabric, With thread-laying means, thread-indenting means, and stitch completing means, of a thread-reversing.

to reverse said threads by frictional eentact.

r 11 The cenahinatiem in means fer pro dncing stripes in lmit fabric, with a plw I rality of needles, thread-laying means, a

phn'ality of sinlrers, and a plurality eit 'dividers, said sinkers and dividers having threats t corresponding depth or a reversing divider having a throat which is deeper than said first-mentioned threats.

12. The combination, in means for producing stripes in knit. fabric, With a phirality of needles, thread-layi ng means, a plurality of sinkers, and a plurality ei dividers, said sinlrers and dividers having threats of correspendlng depth, .013 a reversing divider having a throat Which is deeper than said firstmentioned throats, said are versing divider heing provided in front of said throat with a thread-rolling"- surface.

- l JUHN TEBBUTT.

Witnesses: A- C. Fanmeanns, JFQA. (3mm. 

